


In the Archives

by BiscuitsForPotter



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Co-workers, F/M, Fakeout Makeout, Lawyer Hermione Granger, Making Out, Ministry of Magic (Harry Potter), Snogging, Theo is a nerd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:41:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24165307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BiscuitsForPotter/pseuds/BiscuitsForPotter
Summary: To prove their client's innocence, barrister Theo Nott must dig deep into the Ministry's archives with his partner, Hermione Granger. The only problem? They technically don't have access. If they can get in and out without getting caught, it'll be nothing short of a miracle.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Theodore Nott
Comments: 31
Kudos: 108
Collections: You Pick Two





	In the Archives

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Flash Fiction Challenge!
> 
> My prompt was Hermione/Theo and Fakeout Makeout
> 
> Thanks to my beta - you know who you are!
> 
> Enjoy!

“Let’s try that shelf over there.” 

“Keep it down. Which one?” 

“ _That_ one.”

“Oh for Salazar’s sake. _Lumos!_ ” 

Theo’s wand ignited, shedding light on the dusty Ministry archives and a scowling Granger. She pointed toward several boxes on a high shelf.

Theo raised his eyebrows at his coworker. “You really think Bole and Everley put something as important as wand records in an unlabeled box?”

“If they’re trying to hide it in plain sight, yes.” She levitated the boxes off the shelf.

They’d worked together for five years as magical barristers and Theo had yet to figure her out. Not that he became a barrister to do a character study on someone as self-righteous as Hermione Granger. No, he chose this profession because unlike people, law was both intellectually stimulating and enormously reliable. 

Landing Granger as his partner just happened to be a lucky coincidence.

Lucky, of course, meaning that he had to put up with her neuroses and condescending attitude. 

“Are you going to help me or not?” she snapped, removing the lid.

Under other circumstances he might have put up a fight, if only to rile her up, but not today. Not when anyone could wander down here and see them rummaging through confidential information.

In four hours, their client’s trial would begin, and they only had one shot to prove that she hadn’t cast an unforgivable. Granger had spent hours scouring public records only to find dead ends, and it was _him_ who had to deal with the fallout. 

She was fiery in that way—always passionate about their caseload. Her reasons for practicing law couldn’t have been more opposite than his: she wanted justice for the underserved members of the magical community.

That passion was exactly why he knew he could convince her to sneak into the archives—although Granger had chewed her lip, caught in an internal battle about the risks of rifling through a restricted area, he knew she would acquiesce. Theo had always known her to be the line-toeing type, save for a few specific war-related incursions. But he also knew that she wouldn’t let anything stand in her way for the sake of justice. 

“Wand records,” she confirmed.

He watched as she flicked through the files. Her eyes narrowed, teeth sinking into her lip… that’s when Theo liked her best—when he got a glimpse of Granger in her element. It was almost hypnotising. 

Back at Hogwarts, others ridiculed her for such behaviors. Theo found her intriguing. Off limits and a bit swotty, certainly, but intriguing. _Beguiling._

Not that she would ever—

Across the archives, a door creaked open. Then, footsteps.

Theo’s heart hammered, eyes wide. If they were caught down here without authorization… Dread pooled in his stomach imagining the consequences.

He should have sprung into action—perhaps thought of some solution. Instead he froze.

Not Granger, though. She shoved a file in her bag and levitated the box back onto the shelf. When Theo didn’t move, she waved her wand and whispered, _“Nox.”_

The footsteps drew closer, accompanied by two male voices deep in conversation. 

“What do we do?” Theo hissed. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. 

For a moment, Granger hesitated. The passing seconds grew increasingly distressing as the footsteps approached. 

“Theo, I need you to trust me, okay?” 

He barely nodded before Granger grabbed his robes and spun them so her back was against a shelf. She studied him with earnest eyes. 

Theo’s throat went completely dry. 

She was close. Closer than she’d ever been. Theo could feel her breath on his neck, every curve of her body pressed against him. In her eyes was that same determination that he found so damn enticing. 

Granger’s lips crashed into his with a boldness he hardly recognized. Theo knew he was supposed to trust her, but _this_ was beyond unexpected. She wasted no time deepening their kiss, swiping her tongue against his bottom lip as her fingers curled in the hair at the nape of his neck. 

It was… _intoxicating_.

Theo was not like his school friends—he never snogged classmates in broom cupboards. His sex life had always been—in a word, subdued. But there was nothing subdued about the way Granger’s lips were demanding against his, taking what they needed without apology.

Any surprise he felt melted away, and his body reacted instinctively, pulling her closer in search of friction. He was only vaguely aware of the intruders now. Was that why Granger was kissing him? That didn’t seem to matter. It was only important to taste more—feel more of her. 

Theo’s lips traveled to Granger’s pulsepoint. Her head tipped and a soft moan escaped her lips. This only spurred Theo on more. Any self-control vanishing into thin air when he felt her hand tug at his belt.

“Minister Shacklebolt said— _Good Godric!_ ” 

Flushed and half-hard, Theo pulled away and squinted to his right. At the end of the aisle stood the two Ministry workers, their mouths agape. 

“I—we—we’ll come back later!” one stammered before they made a hasty retreat. 

Even after they left, neither moved. Theo didn’t want to extricate himself just yet. The urge to cant his hips into Granger’s waiting hand still burned, but he forced himself to show restraint. 

What in Merlin’s name had just happened? 

As his brain tried to play catch-up, Granger slipped from his arms and straightened her robes. Clearing her throat, she cast _Lumos_.

“Well, we got what we came for.”

Disappointment gripped him. It was back to business as usual with her, he supposed. 

“Yeah… er, sure. Let me just—” He adjusted his tented trousers, grimacing. “Good distraction, by the way.”

“Yes, well… maybe—” A blush bloomed on Granger’s face. “Maybe after we win with this evidence, we could meet at my flat to… _celebrate_.”

Theo cocked an eyebrow. Always full of surprises, Hermione Granger. 

Still, he supposed that after five years, it wouldn’t hurt to finally try and figure her out. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it - I definitely had fun writing it.


End file.
